Camping

Any other retired Indian Princesses out there? I have a solid 5 years worth of daddy-daughter-campout memories. Sometime I'll have to bust out some pictures. You bet I was looking fierce after a weekend with no moms around to force me to brush my hair.

I got to have a serious blast from the past when I joined my dad & sister's tribe at this year's family camp. I had already planned on visiting this weekend, so my mom and I drove up to Dos Picos on Saturday, which pretty much felt like driving straight into the 1990s for me. 

It was so great reliving my Indian Princess days, complete with bead trading, charades playing, and what every camp out needs: smores. 

Though, this camping experience had one thing that none of my others have had before. A recent purchase that helped me cross something off of my 2014 Bucket List.

I got me a good camera! This one to be exact. And even though I had no idea what I was doing, I had a blast testing it out. 

Can't really go wrong when you've got super cute models and gorgeous scenery, can you?

Glad the dads let us crash their camp out!

It was most definitely a successful family weekend. 

How was your weekend?

Thanksgiving(kah) 2013

If you're wondering about the "kah", it's because for the first time since 1888 (crazy long time ago), Thanksgiving and Hanukkah fell on the same day. And if you're wondering why I was celebrating Hanukkah, then surprise! I'm half Jewish. 

So I give you our Thanksgivingkah, in pictures:

{Thank you pinterest. Turkey cheese ball recipe & inspiration}

So bummed that these basketball pics aren't coming out very well on the laptop! But definitely still showing them, because they're an important part of Thanksgivingkah. {And because how could I not share that captured shot of my epic basket? Yes, that last one went in. Cha-ching.}

Hope your holiday was filled with blessings, fun, and food. Ours sure was!

Happy Monday, loves! Make yours a good one. 

Reed Sister Vaycay

I probably should have warned you that I would be blowing up your Insta and Twitter feed this weekend. Some weekends just deserve the obnoxious over-social-media-fying, and the possibility of losing a few followers. 

This was one of them. 

It was also a weekend that doesn't require much words, because the pictures do the talking.

What the pictures don't show is how much I learn from this little 8 year old. 

I am fairly certain that God gave me Milissa to give me a glimpse into the wonderful, challenging world of parenting. And while I know I am soooo far from understanding it all, I also know that I'm thankful for what I've learned through my sister. 

I've learned that you need grace. The moments where you get frustrated, where you say the wrong thing, and what grips the heart the most: when you walk away feeling like you didn't love the way that they deserve to be loved, there is grace. 

I've learned that most of what you teach, you still need work on too. I preach the importance of patience, and before I know it, I'm losing mine. I emphasize that your worth and value come from who God made you to be, and not what you look like. And two seconds later, that self consciousness is creeping up on me because I ate too much and feel gross. The learning never stops. 

I've learned that the most important thing, more important than teaching or having fun or providing, is to love. And love well. The fact of the matter is, we'll never get this loving thing down pat. We're human, we mess up all the time. But that doesn't mean you stop trying. You keep trying, because the love will shine through the mess ups. 

And I hope this does not sound like parenting advice, because I fully understand that having an 8 year old sister does not make me a parent. 

But I also understand the importance of documenting what you learn, and this is what I've learnt from my relationship with my beautiful baby sister, Milissa. 

This was so much more than a Bucket List item checked off. 

Weekend Rundown

Still have some more fun questions to answer, but today I'm taking the easy way out and doing a post with a photo dump and few words. I'm writing this at 8:40PM and I'm literally ready for bed liiike right now. 

Just call me Grandma Amy from now on. 

Without further adieu, I give you my weekend with the fam:

Saw Turbo. Super cute! I recommend it (even if I did fall asleep at some points). 

Enjoyed Stearns Warf, a Santa Barbara classic, and a must-see if you ever visit!

Another must-see would of course be me. You know I would love to see your gorgeous faces if you're ever in town! 

Went to the Ty Warner Sea Center, which I had never been to before! The little kid in me had a blast. 

It must have been Milissa's lucky day, because she also found a sea hare on the beach!

**Sea hare is a fancy name for sea slug.**

We ended our day by getting dolled up to walk around downtown:

It was a great weekend, and so nice to have my family here!

Hope you guys had fabulous weekends, as well! Almost to the next one!

Your Questions Answered - Family & Faith

Continuing on with answering your questions from this post and Instagram, and today's topic is family and faith. Here we go:

The wonderful Hanna asked Do you want kids someday? How many? And, are you still dating? 

Yes, I absolutely want kids someday! In high school, I used to say that I wanted 5 kids. And honestly? I would still totally be down for that. I definitely want to make sure that I can financially provide for all of my kids, but I trust God with that one!

I imagine they will look something like this:

{For those newbies around here (hello!!), that would be my 8 year old mini me of a sister}

As for the last question, no, I am not currently dating right now. I go a little deeper on that right here. Truth be told, I am really enjoying this time to dig a little further into myself and my relationship with God. I have complete faith that the right relationship will come at the right time. 

And then bring on those 5 kiddos. 

Kidding. 

Kind of. 

L asked What do you have a God-given passion for? Which of His promises do you hold onto the most? 

First of all, this is such a fantastic question. Thanks, L! :)

When I have to describe myself, passionate is the first word that comes to mind. I am so dang passionate about so many things. And that in and of itself is a gift from God that I am so thankful for!

One of the things that I am most passionate about is making people feel loved. Whether it's meeting up with a friend to get caught up on their life, giving a compliment to a stranger, or giving someone an extra tight hug, I am extremely passionate about showing people that they are loved. That they are valued, and that they are cared about. 

And which of His promises do I hold onto the most? Hm, there are so many good ones, aren't there? I would say that lately, I have been clinging to the fact that He is a good God who has good plans for me. The more I understand this, the less I worry about the future, and the more I learn how to truly trust Him. 

Anonymous asked What is your parents' religion? Is it the same as yours? Why or why not? 

Great question! My mom was raised Jewish, and my dad was raised Catholic. Growing up, we bounced back and forth between temple and Christian churches, although I never remember too much consistency. I even went with a friend to her Catholic after school program for a bit, so I got quite the well rounded exposure to different beliefs!

I have a hard time classifying my parents' "religion." I honestly think you would have to ask them! If I had to guess, I would think that my dad associates with Christianity, but it's a bit more complicated with my mom because of her heavy Jewish background. 

What I can say, is that my parents are very supportive of my walk with the Lord. All of my family members believe in God, so I feel very free to talk about what He is doing in my life. When my mom, dad and sister were visiting this weekend, they came to church with me. It was super sweet to worship the Lord with my both my family, and the church family that has 100% changed my life. 

Hope that answers your question :)

Anonymous asked Do your parents know of your struggles?

I would assume this is referring to my eating disorder, and yes, they know of that struggle. This was very much a personal battle, though. I wouldn't say they played an active role. 

Hilda asked How long does it take you to drive from Santa Barbara to San Diego?

If I leave in the evening or early in the morning, I can get back in about 3, 3 and a half hours. If I leave during mid-day on a Friday, it takes more like 4, even 4 and a half hours. Dang you, Friday traffic!

It's worth it to go visit my family, though :)

Heather asked What is your favorite book of the Bible? What is your favorite Bible verse? 

Romans is my all-time favorite book in the Bible. It was the first book that I ever read start to finish, and I read it at the high school youth retreat where I first met Jesus :). It was a trip to Catalina, a small island off the coast here in California. I will never forget sitting in the beauty of God's creation, and reading the words that spoke so clearly to my heart for the first time. 

My favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:38-39. 

And I'll leave you with that truth for your Tuesday! Hope yours is fabulous. :)

8 years ago...

My baby sister was born!

At 11:54PM, she was the last baby born in all of San Diego in 2004. Pretty cool, huh? 

Happy Birthday Milissa!

I am so blessed to be your big sister, and am so proud of the big girl that you have grown up to be. 

I love you so so so so so much. 

You're the best little sister in the whole wide world. 

So Long Travelling

So before I even start this post, I've got a fun story from yesterday to share. 

You know when you walk out of a conversation, and realize you've had something on your face the whole time? Yeah, well yesterday after work I got in my car to notice I had chocolate on my lip. 

Pretty noticeably, too.

And I probably wouldn't have cared, until I realized that I had eaten said chocolate 3 hours earlier. 

Three hours... really?

Yeah, that happened. 

Anywho, back to this post. So this upcoming weekend will be the first weekend in over 2 months where I will be in Santa Barbara the entire weekend. 

And besides seeing this girl on Friday:

I have zero plans. 

Zilch. Nada. 

I could not be more excited. 

You see, travelling can wear on you after a while. {Shocking, I know.}

But, I will say this. I have so enjoyed the last few months. Let's recap, shall we:

- I got my Country fix in at Stagecoach.

- I soaked up the Lord both at the Women's Conference, and in Boston.

- I got to see some family and some more family.

- Had the time of my life in Vegas. 

- Reunited with great friends in Sacramento.

And last but not least:

- I watched my brother graduate and had some more birthday celebration fun. 

Oh, I haven't shared pics yet from that last one? You didn't think I'd leave you hanging, did you? 

Voila:

Now on to birthday bbq pics:

Lovely birthday girl:

Reminiscing on college drinking games:

Take note that Annika is giving me a high five in the above picture. I got skills, guys. Just saying.

Now, am I exhausted from all this recent travelling?

Heck yes.

But you know what I've realized? I want my words and my plans to be more than just words and plans. When someone says "Hey, let's do _________" {fill in the blank with your adventure of choice}, I want them to know that when I say "I'm down!" I really mean it. 

I want to take this life, and really live it. 

And in the next few months, I will be doing that by doing absolutely nothing.

But give me some time to re cooperate, and I'll be back at it :)

So who wants to plan the next trip?